The upgrade of Muizenberg police station at a cost of R100 million has been halted.
And now provincial police management must draft a report and submit this to the Police Ministry on how the money would be allocated to seven police stations in dire need of the resources.
This emerged when Deputy Police Minister Bongani Mkongi addressed a community meeting, along with various community organisations advocating for safety in and around Khayelitsha.
Speaking of the planned upgrade at the Muizenberg police station, Mkongi said: “It’s not going to happen and if it does, it will happen over my dead body.”
Mkongi told the organisations’ representatives that instead of spending the R100m on the Muizenberg police station, police would spread the funds to ensure that communities such as Lavender Hill, Vrygrond, Nyanga, Philippi, Kraaifontein, Makhaza and Delft are safer.
Samora Machel Community Policing Forum (CPF) deputy chairperson Xolani Joja told Mkongi his area was in dire need of a police station as it was a contributing factor to Nyanga’s tag as South Africa’s murder capital.
Joja said a budget was approved in 2005 for the building of a police station, but nothing has been done “because it seems there is no land available”.
Social Justice Coalition (SJC) member Phumeza Mlungwana asked: “How do you even justify a R100m upgrade? How did Muizenberg jump the queue, because Muizenberg got on to the list seven years ago while Makhaza has been on the list for 13 years?”
Mkongi said he read about the upgrade of the police station only in the media and immediately called the Khayelitsha development forum (KDF) chairperson, Ndithini Tyhido, and told him that the upgrade was a “rubbish”.
“It’s going to be halted. It’s not going to happen.
“We are redirecting the resources to build a police station in Makhaza,” said Mkongi, adding some of the R100m will be spent on building the Samora Machel police station and upgrading the Nyanga police station.
“I told the provincial commissioner I need that report no later than June this year, which will determine the date when the (Makhaza) police station will be constructed,” said Mkongi, to loud applause.
“I am not going to give you words, but I am going to give you action. I met the police (and) I met the KDF and gave them instructions,” he said.
Referring to the SJC and equal education’s High Court challenge over the allocation of policing resources, Mkongi said his department would not oppose the application of the two organistions.
Provincial police commissioner Khombinkosi Jula said his management will “support every initiative, in terms of the law, to ensure resources are allocated where they are needed the most”.